


the night is bright tonight

by honeypeachtea



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Unrequited Love, only a bit don't expect too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-16 00:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7244656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeypeachtea/pseuds/honeypeachtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>soonyoung doesn't know why he does this to himself, but what he knows is that he'll do anything to put that smile on jihoon's face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the night is bright tonight

**Author's Note:**

> i love soonyoung, i really do  
> but this has to be done
> 
> (and can anyone guess why i chose those particular lyrics for soonyoung's ringtone at the start :'D)

_/this cursed popularity, why won’t it go away_

_but why am i getting lonelier/_

soonyoung groggily propped himself up on one arm, the other arm patting around randomly on the bed for his phone. grabbing his phone, he looked at the caller and quickly answered it.

"jihoonie? why are you calling so late?" soonyoung rubbed his eyes as his mind tried to focus itself. he pulled the phone away from his ear, squinting blearily at the lit sceen. “it’s nearly 2am, jihoon.”

the silence from the other end was unnerving. growing worried, soonyoung asked again, while getting out of his bed.

"jihoon? are you still at the studio?"

"...no." the hesitation before the answer set off warning bells ringing in soonyoung's mind, as he raced to put on his pants and coat.

"then where are you? on the way home?" soonyoung anxiously asked. it was a cold night today, as autumn was ending and winter quickly approaching. it wouldn't do for jihoon to be out alone, wandering around god knows where.

"no, i-" soonyoung listened as jihoon took a shaky breath. “i'm at the company building, soonyoung, i don’t know what i’m doing-“ jihoon cut off abruptly as he took another deep breath.

soonyoung gnawed on his lip in worry. “where in the building, jihoon?” soonyoung pulled on his socks, grabbed his wallet and ran out of the dorm. “where?”

“the… the rooftop.” jihoon’s voice was small and wavering.

soonyoung bit back a curse while flagging for a taxi. “don’t hang up on me, okay? i’m coming over right now.”

“o-okay,” jihoon replied quietly.

“what happened?” soonyoung asked as he got on the taxi.

“i… i don’t know,” a choked sob followed the words.

soonyoung’s hand clenched to form a fist as he watched as the city rushed past him in streaks of light and colour. “just breathe, jihoonie. breathe.”

silence fell between the two of them. the second he reached the building, soonyoung ran up the numerous flights of stairs to the rooftop. pausing only for a brief moment at the door to catch his breath, soonyoung pushed the door open and stepped into the cold air.

looking around, he spotted a silhouette sitting at the edge of the rooftop, outlined by the lights from the skyscrapers far in the distance. “jihoonie?” he cautiously called out, slowly making his way there. the figure turned his head slightly, shoulders rising up and down erratically.

“soonyoung?” jihoon’s voice was painstakingly clear in the night air.

soonyoung made his way to the rooftop edge and slowly sat down next to the younger male. jihoon was looking straight ahead now, taking in small and shallow breaths. _he's shivering,_ soonyoung observed. shrugging off his coat, he placed it on top of jihoon.

“it’s okay,” jihoon responded, though his shivering lessened. soonyoung shook his head, “you need it.”

soonyoung let the silence linger between the two of them a while more, before asking, “what happened, jihoonie? it’s rare this happens.”

jihoon took a deep breath, and opened his mouth, before closing it again. “i,“ he started, “i’m a failure, soonyoung.”

soonyoung started to make sounds of denial but was cut off by jihoon, “no, soonyoung, i really am. i’ve been in the studio for the past 5 hours, and nothing came up. nothing. we need a comeback soon, soonyoung. the public will forget us otherwise. but how can we have a comeback if all i’ve been producing is shit? the company gave me their feedback, and nothing is working. you should have seen the comments,” jihoon broke off into a harsh and bitter laugh that tore at soonyoung’s heart. it sounded so foreign, so unnatural on jihoon’s lips. “it's so hard, soonyoung, so damn hard. i… i don’t think I can do this anymore. everyone thinks that i am working but i'm not. i have nothing to work with. i’ve failed, soonyoung, i’ve failed seventeen, i've failed everyone.”

soonyoung shook his head vehemently, grabbing the other’s hand in his, tightening his grip on it with just enough force such that jihoon turned to look at him. “don’t _ever_ say that you’ve failed jihoon. what you have done thus far is remarkable, _incredible_. you don’t know how many would kill to have the talent you have, lee jihoon. sure, you have nothing right now, but you’re _you_ jihoonie. you’ve had moments like this before. remember just before mansae? you claimed you had nothing as well, but look at what a masterpiece boys be turned out to be.” jihoon listened with eyes wide open, vulnerable and hanging onto every single word soonyoung churned out. his face shone slightly, sticky with the tears that had dried on it. it pained soonyoung when he understood how much jihoon needed this reassurance.

he shouldn’t need to.

“jihoon, this isn’t who you are. you haven’t failed _anyone_ jihoonie. the group loves you, even if you don’t produce our next track. we love you for you, jihoon, not for your accomplishments.”

_me more than anyone,_ soonyoung added mentally, with a trace of bitterness.

“we’ll be there when you need us, all you have to do is tell us,” soonyoung promised earnestly, “me, hyundo-hyung, younghoon-hyung, bumzu-hyung, seungcheol, everyone.”

soonyoung did not miss the way jihoon’s face tense as he listed out the names, especially when soonyoung said the name of seventeen’s leader. soonyoung also noticed the way jihoon shifted uncomfortably, pulling his hand away from soonyoung.

_what…?_ soonyoung wondered, facial expression turning dark when the answer dawned on him.

_oh, of course. of course._

“you can’t seriously be thinking that it’s true, right?” soonyoung kept his voice light and slightly teasing. it was a sensitive area, and he had to tread carefully.

jihoon's reply was biting and cold, “have you _seen_ the way they touch each other? they're so caught up in each other it’s like no one else exists. it's too real to be staged, soonyoung. anyone can see that. the fans definitely can.”

soonyoung threw his head back and _laughed_. jihoon flashed him an incredulous look.

_if i was a lesser man, i would grab this opportunity_ , soonyoung thought cynically to himself, _but what’s the point? jihoon is obviously too in love with him to look at anyone else._

“there’s nothing going on between seungcheol-hyung and jeonghan-hyung, jihoon. have you seen the way jeonghan-hyung and jisoo-hyung look at each other? it's so cute it’s almost sickening.”

jihoon looked away. “i'm scared, soonyoung,” he admitted breathlessly, “jeonghan-hyung is tall, handsome, and basically… everything that i'm not. they look good together, soonyoung. i don’t think even seungcheol can resist it.”

soonyoung grabbed jihoon’s face gently and turned it such that their eyes met. “i won’t lie and say that you’re better looking than jeonghan-hyung,” jihoon’s eyes darted down, “ _look at me_ , _jihoonie_. you may not be the most handsome person, but you’re breathtaking. you're cute, no, stop trying to deny it, and you’re very talented. there's so much more to a person than looks, jihoonie. if seungcheol-hyung can’t see that, he is an idiot.”

_even if seungcheol-hyung can’t see that,_ i _can, jihoonie,_ soonyoung thought, as he looked at jihoon, _why can’t you see that?_

jihoon stared into soonyoung’s eyes, tears already threatening to fall. soonyoung gently brushed them away, as jihoon closed his eyes, leaning onto soonyoung’s chest.

“i,” jihoon’s voice was muffled against soonyoung’s shirt, “i… thank you, soonyoung.”

soonyoung's chest clenched painfully as he picked up the exhaustion in jihoon’s voice. “how long have you not slept?” soonyoung asked softly, one of his hands combing through jihoon’s newly-dyed hair, and the other one gently resting on the latter’s back. jihoon gave a muffled answer, to which soonyoung replied with “proper sleep, jihoon, not a nap.”

jihoon murmured sleepily, “about 4 days, give or take?” before his hands grabbed the back of soonyoung’s sweater.

soonyoung started patting jihoon’s back, softly coaxing jihoon to sleep, pressing his lips against the latter’s hair. he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. sometimes, its moments like these when soonyoung can just close his eyes and pretend that there was no seventeen, no work, no seungcheol.

it was just the night, soonyoung, and the person he loved.

but jihoon wasn’t his, and soonyoung was soon reminded of that fact as he unlocked the door to seventeen’s dorm, taking care not to wake jihoon whom was on soonyoung’s back. it had been a tough time piggy backing jihoon back to the dorm, but the younger male was so tired he didn’t even fidget when soonyoung tripped over a rock. soonyoung had not expected anyone to be in the living room when he opened the door, but there was someone there.

seungcheol was sitting on the couch, eyes drooping in fatigue every few seconds, but he seemed determined to stay awake. when the door opened, seungcheol jumped up and all but ran to the door. his face expressed relief when he saw soonyoung but his eyes soon trailed up to jihoon’s face, which was lying against soonyoung’s shoulder, a small patch of drool spreading steadily on soonyoung’s coat. soonyoung watched as seungcheol crossed the length of the living room with big strides, with what soonyoung presumed was jihoon’s name on his lips, but soonyoung put a finger to his lips, giving a pointed look.

seungcheol nodded quietly, eyes still transfixed on jihoon. soonyoung resisted the urge to sigh.

_these idiots in love, really._

placing jihoon down on the couch, he turned to face seungcheol. “hyung,” soonyoung began. seungcheol gave soonyoung his attention, though it was obvious he was distracted. “hyung, we need to talk,” soonyoung whispered urgently.

“what’s wrong?” seungcheol asked, eyes showing concern.

“it’s about jihoon,” seungcheol looked more alert. “hyung, do you really love him?”

soonyoung watched as seungcheol’s eyes softened and darted towards the sleeping figure on the couch. soonyoung hurriedly cut him off, “actually, you know what, you don’t have to answer that.”

_anyone on the streets can see it,_ soonyoung thought, _no need to make this harder for myself than it needs to be._

“if you really do, hyung, you need to make a decision. whatever you and jeonghan-hyung are doing is really hurting jihoon, hyung. how far are you willing to sacrifice jihoon for the fans, hyung?”

_why am i even doing this?_ soonyoung wondered, frustration bubbling in his chest. but as both heads turned to the brunet passed out on the couch, soonyoung knew the answer immediately.

_anything to see jihoon happy again_.

soonyoung swallowed the hurt and locked eyes with his leader again. he watched as a firm resolve and determination replaced the worry in seungcheol’s eyes, knowing that he made the right decision.

seungcheol nodded, “i’ll talk to jeonghan tomorrow.” soonyoung nodded in agreement. he took one last glance at jihoon as seungcheol said, “i'll take care of jihoonie. get some rest, soonyoung.”

soonyoung walked to his room, before pausing a few steps away. “seungcheol-hyung, if you ever, _ever_ hurt jihoon, intentionally or not, i _will_ take him away from you,” soonyoung felt the familiar bout of nausea as a torrent of unwanted negativity slammed at him and knew that he had to end it quickly.

or else he’d be the one breaking down in front of them.

soonyoung swallowed thickly to prevent his voice from cracking, hot tears forming in his eyes, “jihoonie chose you, hyung. love him and cherish him as much as you can.”

not waiting for a reply, soonyoung went inside his room, brushing away the tears roughly with the back of his hand. sitting on his bed, he stared aimlessly out of the window, knowing that sleep wouldn’t be his visitor tonight.

jihoon didn’t choose him, but he chose seungcheol. all he could do now was to play the role of a spectator in their story, and try to make the ending as much of a happy one as possible. as long as jihoon was happy, soonyoung could try to be happy. soonyoung fell sideways on his bed, and tried not to think about what was happening outside his door. did seungcheol carry jihoon back to his room? or was he just holding jihoon in his arms, close against his chest? soonyoung gasped back a sob, tugging his pillow over to place it on his face to muffle his cries. he closed his eyes, letting the growing dampness slowly, slowly suffocate him. soonyoung knew love could hurt,

_but he didn’t know love could hurt this bad._

**Author's Note:**

> my friend told me it felt like the prologue to a soonhoon story so here i am saying no, its not, unfortunately  
> leave a comment pls (i love comments)
> 
> pls don't hate me


End file.
